Published Tuesday, 05 June, 2007 at 02:30 PM
Minister for Health
The Honourable Stephen Robertson
RECORD $7.1 BILLION HEALTH BUDGET TO CONTINUE REFORM
A record health budget of $7.15 billion will continue to drive reforms and improvements to Queensland’s health system in 2007-08, Health Minister Stephen Robertson said today.
Mr Robertson said the health budget delivers on the Beattie Government’s election commitments, improves mental health services, opens more hospital beds, and funds record numbers of doctors and nurses within Queensland Health.
He said a $635 million health capital works program would support the health budget, building world-class infrastructure that will take Queensland Health into the next decade.
“Queensland is building the best health system in Australia through our five-year, $10 billion Health Action Plan,” Mr Robertson said.
“The Beattie Government is delivering on its promise to recruit more staff, open more beds and develop the infrastructure needed to manage the demands of a growing and ageing population and the epidemic of chronic diseases now and into the future.
“The health budget builds on last year’s massive boost in funding. Last year we increased the budget by 19 percent or $1 billion to $6.38 billion.
“This financial year we will increase it by more than 700 million dollars, to a staggering $7.151 billion, more than double the health budget 10 years ago ($3.443 billion – 1997-98).”
Mr Robertson said health improvements were highlighted by statistics showing that between June 2005 and May this year there were an extra 999 doctors, 3,157 nurses and 1,126 Allied Health Professionals.
The 2007-08 Health Budget highlights includes:
• An extra $353.5 million over four years to improve mental health services across the State. An additional $45.5 million dollars has been allocated in 2007-08 including:
o $28.5 million to employ and accommodate more community mental health staff, and
o $13.2 million to develop and expand inpatient mental health services;
• An additional commitment of $215.4 million to improve wages and conditions for clinical staff, including visiting medical officers, administrative and operational staff;
• $15.1 million additional funding to enhance the clinical education and training of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals;
• $5.9 million additional funding to create more registrar positions and infrastructure for medical graduates to ensure an adequate supply of medical specialists;
• $22.4 million in increased funding towards whole-of-population primary prevention and initiatives for the prevention and management of chronic disease;
• $150.3 million will be invested in information and communication technology projects. This investment includes $40 million to start a multi-year investment in e-Health initiatives that will help overcome the tyranny of distance, giving rural and regional patients increased access to specialists without having to travel;
• $25.4 million in additional funding is allocated to meet the increasing cost of providing inter-facility transfers and aeromedical retrievals;
• Introduction of an $8.5 million new waiting list initiative to increase access to elective surgery for public patients who have extended waiting times for surgery. Surgery Connect will involve outsourcing the treatment of ‘long wait’ public elective surgery patients to the private sector (for a selected range of procedures) where public sector capacity has been optimised or where public resources are unavailable;
• $4.8 million in additional funding to support initiatives to prevent youth substance abuse, including ice;
• Establishment of a new Queensland Quitline telephone service (13QUIT) to provide additional support and services including call-back counselling and new self-help guides for smokers wanting to quit; and
• Establishment of a Universal Postnatal Contact Service where mothers of newborns are offered a home-visit for other form of contact from a nurse or other child health professional to ensure they are coping with the early stresses of parenthood. The service will commence in pilot sites in 2007-08 before progressively rolling out across the State over the next five years.
Major health capital works projects continuing in 2007-08 include:
• The Prince Charles Hospital upgrade - $134.4 million;
• Ingham Hospital redevelopment – $45 million;
• Innisfail Hospital redevelopment - $41.8 million;
• Rockhampton Hospital improvement - $74 million;
• Robina Hospital upgrade - $40.1 million;
• Weipa Hospital redevelopment - $45.3 million; and
• Thursday Island Chronic Disease and Prevention Management Centre - $39.3 million.
5 June, 2007
MEDIA: PAUL LYNCH 3234 1190
Mr Robertson said the health budget delivers on the Beattie Government’s election commitments, improves mental health services, opens more hospital beds, and funds record numbers of doctors and nurses within Queensland Health.
He said a $635 million health capital works program would support the health budget, building world-class infrastructure that will take Queensland Health into the next decade.
“Queensland is building the best health system in Australia through our five-year, $10 billion Health Action Plan,” Mr Robertson said.
“The Beattie Government is delivering on its promise to recruit more staff, open more beds and develop the infrastructure needed to manage the demands of a growing and ageing population and the epidemic of chronic diseases now and into the future.
“The health budget builds on last year’s massive boost in funding. Last year we increased the budget by 19 percent or $1 billion to $6.38 billion.
“This financial year we will increase it by more than 700 million dollars, to a staggering $7.151 billion, more than double the health budget 10 years ago ($3.443 billion – 1997-98).”
Mr Robertson said health improvements were highlighted by statistics showing that between June 2005 and May this year there were an extra 999 doctors, 3,157 nurses and 1,126 Allied Health Professionals.
The 2007-08 Health Budget highlights includes:
• An extra $353.5 million over four years to improve mental health services across the State. An additional $45.5 million dollars has been allocated in 2007-08 including:
o $28.5 million to employ and accommodate more community mental health staff, and
o $13.2 million to develop and expand inpatient mental health services;
• An additional commitment of $215.4 million to improve wages and conditions for clinical staff, including visiting medical officers, administrative and operational staff;
• $15.1 million additional funding to enhance the clinical education and training of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals;
• $5.9 million additional funding to create more registrar positions and infrastructure for medical graduates to ensure an adequate supply of medical specialists;
• $22.4 million in increased funding towards whole-of-population primary prevention and initiatives for the prevention and management of chronic disease;
• $150.3 million will be invested in information and communication technology projects. This investment includes $40 million to start a multi-year investment in e-Health initiatives that will help overcome the tyranny of distance, giving rural and regional patients increased access to specialists without having to travel;
• $25.4 million in additional funding is allocated to meet the increasing cost of providing inter-facility transfers and aeromedical retrievals;
• Introduction of an $8.5 million new waiting list initiative to increase access to elective surgery for public patients who have extended waiting times for surgery. Surgery Connect will involve outsourcing the treatment of ‘long wait’ public elective surgery patients to the private sector (for a selected range of procedures) where public sector capacity has been optimised or where public resources are unavailable;
• $4.8 million in additional funding to support initiatives to prevent youth substance abuse, including ice;
• Establishment of a new Queensland Quitline telephone service (13QUIT) to provide additional support and services including call-back counselling and new self-help guides for smokers wanting to quit; and
• Establishment of a Universal Postnatal Contact Service where mothers of newborns are offered a home-visit for other form of contact from a nurse or other child health professional to ensure they are coping with the early stresses of parenthood. The service will commence in pilot sites in 2007-08 before progressively rolling out across the State over the next five years.
Major health capital works projects continuing in 2007-08 include:
• The Prince Charles Hospital upgrade - $134.4 million;
• Ingham Hospital redevelopment – $45 million;
• Innisfail Hospital redevelopment - $41.8 million;
• Rockhampton Hospital improvement - $74 million;
• Robina Hospital upgrade - $40.1 million;
• Weipa Hospital redevelopment - $45.3 million; and
• Thursday Island Chronic Disease and Prevention Management Centre - $39.3 million.
5 June, 2007
MEDIA: PAUL LYNCH 3234 1190